Determination of psilocin and psilocybin using flow injection analysis with acidic potassium permanganate and tris(2,2'-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) chemiluminescence detection respectively.

A simple, rapid and sensitive method for the determination of psilocin and psilocybin is described. This is the first report on the determination of psilocin and psilocybin using flow injection analysis with acidic potassium permanganate and tris(2,2'-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) chemiluminescence. The limits of detection (signal-to-noise ratio=3) are 9x10(-10)M and 3x10(-10)M for psilocin and psilocybin, respectively. A concise synthetic route for psilocin in three steps from readily available starting materials is also described. The structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic data.